A young girl discovered a vintage wooden box that contained a special pair of headphones. Not a day went by that she didn’t listen. Nor did she ever leave her headphones at home when she went to school. She took them everywhere she went so that she could listen at any time. If even for one day she were to leave the headphones behind, she knew she would miss out on hearing great things.
And, if she kept to herself the great things she heard, then others would not get the chance to hear what she had to share.
So, she determined to listen closely throughout the day, every day. She realized the understanding she obtained was accessible at any time. The times she chose not to listen, she knew she’d have to rely on what others proclaimed. This would cause her to forget what she listened to in her headphones.
One day, while she was looking for a new pencil, she stumbled upon a vintage box under her parents’ bed. This vintage box contained two special pair of headphones.
That night, while she was having dinner with her parents, the girl said,
“I saw that you guys have the same headphones that I do. Why have I never seen you listening?”
Her mother said,
“We are so busy these days that we don’t have time to listen, plus no one really listens anymore.”
The girl replied,
“Wait. There are others who have these special headphones too?”
“Honey. Everyone has a special pair of headphones.”
The girl lowered her head while separating the one green bean from all the kernels of corn on her plate. After a few moments of doing this, she looked up at her dad, and said,
“Daddy, do you ever listen to your special headphones?”
Without breaking his gaze from the television in the other room, he grumbled,
“Sorry, dear.
What did you say?
I wasn’t listening.”
